Cheddar Awards: 2018's Top Influencers

December 12, 2018

By Tracey Cheek

Marketing management platform Traackr found that 72 percent of major brands are dedicating a large portion of their budgets to influencers. And 2018, it seems, has produced hordes of them on social media, from fashion to fitness.

One of social media’s biggest stars Josh Ostrovsky, a.k.a The Fat Jewish told Cheddar that influencer fatigue is real.

“The number keeps growing and growing and growing and the real estate becomes less valuable,” Ostrovsky told Cheddar. “Unless you’re falling on a treadmill, I don’t want to see your workout.”

So which of them deserve your attention? Here is Cheddar's list of five to watch.

Travelgram
Social media can be a portal for travel fantasy, allowing us to browse photos for hours on end while imagining we can afford to fly to Iceland at a moment's notice and bunk in a yurt. Cue surf-and-adventure photographer Chris Burkard, who posts a range of travel porn, ranging from Alpaca-selfies to breathtaking shots from high-up in a helicopter in Hawaii. Burkard has 3.2 million followers on Facebook's ($FB) Instagram, is the author of a children's book, has his own line of camera bags, and hosts photo workshops at a price tag of up to $4,000.

Esports Takeover
Professional gamer Tyler Blevins, a.k.a Ninja, has been making serious waves in the gaming industry. Earlier this year, Ninja played "Fortnite" with Drake ー amassing a record-setting 600,000-plus views on Twitch. The gamer has 11.8 million followers on Instagram and 20.1 million subscribers on YouTube. He also brought home three Gamers' Choice Awards ー for Fan Favorite Esports Player of the Year, Fan Favorite Gamer Moment, and the 2018 Super Nova Honor.

Working on my Fitness
Fitness influencers can arguably be the most competitive category ー from promoting detox teas, workout tutorials, or even client transformations. Michelle Lewin amassed 13.3 million followers on Instagram, surpassing Bikini Body Guide creator Kayla Itsines who's staying strong with 10.6 million Instagram followers. Lewin offers workouts and nutrition guides to her fans and has her own clothing line as well as a line of supplements.

Four-Legged Friends
Move over Lil BUB and Doug the Pug ー there's a new dog-fluencer in town. Meet Jiffpom the record-breaking pup with over 30 million followers across all social media channels. Jiffpom is a three-time Guinness World Record holder and has over 8.9 million followers on Instagram alone. The record-breaking Pomeranian doesn't sell pet products, but has his own line of puzzles sold at Target ($TRGT), in addition to iPhone cases and an app. The pup is a big hit with tech giants, and even helped unveil Instagram's new augmented-reality filters at its F8 Developer Conference.

BeautyHuda Kattanis is a makeup artist and beauty blogger with a massive 29.8 million following on Instagram. Kattan founded her own "Huda Beauty" cosmetics line that is on track to bring in $400 million in retail sales this year. The maven has attributed her success to her "weirdness."